Cogwheels and Stitches
by RobDeBrony
Summary: Hoodude Voodoo. Robecca Steam. Two very different Monsters, brought together by a stroke of chance and fate. The two are Brother and Sister in their own eyes. They've hardly met before, they've hardly interacted and they never expected their lives to become so special once they finally did.
1. The Storm

The sound of rain patting against the driveway of Miss Kindergrubber's bed and breakfast made itself rather apparent as the rain beat down against the ground below. The angry sky blackened by clouds, drowning out the white light of the moon as they sailed across the sky, almost peacefully. Occasionally, the storm would accompany the rain with an outburst of crackling and roaring as the sound of thunder echoed throughout the night. The rain knocked on the glass windows of the building, splattering against it and then slowly running down the side as each drop of water dragged as many others as it could down with it. Inside the building, safe from the fury of the storm, was Hoodude

He sat in the lobby, holding a book in his hand, staring out the window into the enraged sky. He listened carefully to the noise the rain made as it patted against the window, sometimes watching the light flash a bright white for a split second, then counting how many second it took for the sky to yell out in response. He diverted his gaze, looking down at the cover of his book, a frown befalling his face. He had already prepared himself for bed, with a plain, black t-shirt placed on above a pair of gray pants. Yet, he simply sat in the front room, watching the rain through the window, showing no signs of actually wanting sleep, or needing it. The silence in the room was broken when he heard a few footsteps behind him. However, he didn't turn to look, remaining glued to the armchair. It was only when the footsteps returned a second time that he looked over at the door.

"Hoodude? Dear?" Miss Kindergrubber asked, adjusting her glasses. "What are you doing up so late? It's almost twelve o'clock!"

Hoodude didn't answer, but let out a sigh through his nose, glancing away for a few seconds. He looked down at his book. He'd meant to read it, but found the sound of the storm to be much more thought-provoking and, in a strange way, soothing. He slipped it into his pocket, then hopped out of the chair.

"...Nothing, Miss Kindergrubber" He said with a frown as he walked past her. She placed a hand on his shoulder as he guided him to his room. He knew she was talking. He could hear it. But his mind was elsewhere. Perhaps at one with the storm? Something else? He wasn't sure. But certainly not here. Not content with listening to his carer.

"The storm will pass soon, I hope. It's a big one. Perhaps school might be cancelled tomorrow. Then you can stay at home" She said, provoking a glance from Hoodude as they finally reached his door. "Maybe you could help me out with a few chores? Do some studying? I could help you, if you wanted, Hoodude"  
"It sounds nice" Hoodude said, faking a smile as he entered his room.  
"Goodnight, dear" Kindergrubber said, turning off his room's main light and closing the door.

Hoodude slid onto his bed, his stitched surface fitting under the covers snugly, as he took out his book once more, turning on the lamp on his desk, placed by the side of his bed. At first, he took a glance, or perhaps a stare, at the title._ 'Romeo and Ghouliett'_. He skimmed through the book, flipping through the pages and staring at the words. Despite the fact his mind was occupied with them, he seemed incapable of concentrating on anything but the sound of the rain assaulting his window, as the storm let out a frustrated growl now and again. With a sigh, he finally put the book down and took a final glance out of the window, before tossing the covers over himself and slowly drifting off to sleep, the sound of the storm ever present as his vision slowly faded...

* * *

Miss Kindergrubber's words weren't just rambling. Indeed, by the time his button eyes slid open the next morning, the storm had passed. He stared out the window, which still had drops of rain on it, with small puddles of water on the ledge outside it. Instead of crackling and roaring, the sound of Birds chirping their morning chorus and wind blowing through the leaves on the trees filled the air, provoking a small smile from Hoodude as he watched the sun peek out from behind a cloud. He checked his alarm clock. 9:26 AM. The bus left for school at 9:00, but Hoodude was smart enough to know that Miss Kindergrubber would have woken him up if she feared he was about to miss the bus.

Once downstairs, he was greeted with the sight of Kindergrubber in the kitchen, making breakfast for herself. One advantage of being a voodoo dummy was that he didn't have to eat. He always wondered whether or not he actually could, but hadn't tried. His first instinct was to just wander into the sitting room and sit down to read, or watch TV. But he decided to at least greet his elderly mentor.

"Good morning Miss Kindergrubber" He said, waving with a slight smile on his face. She turned, returning his smile. "Morning, dear" She said. "You hungry?"  
"No. But thanks..." He said, rubbing one of his eyes as he yawned. "Did I miss the bus?" He asked, pretending not to understand what had happened.  
"No, of course not" She said. "I would've woke you up. I got a call from the school around 8:30, telling me that it had been closed for a couple of days due to damage caused by the storm."  
Hoodude's eyes widened slightly. Although he wasn't fond of school at all, he hoped everything was alright and no one had gotten hurt. Unlikely, but still possible. He looked around the kitchen. "So...what is it you wanted help with?" He asked, his gaze returning to her.  
"Oh, I wanted some help moving some things from one room to another"  
"Which room?"  
"105, dear. It's upstairs"

* * *

Hoodude hadn't bothered asking any more questions. Instead, he'd simply shrugged and went upstairs to check out what he'd be moving. Once he reached the room, he was somewhat surprised to see that it was fully furnished. Posters on the wall, stuff on the bed and desks, clothes in the closet, everything. He raised an eyebrow, confused. He'd never known of any other Monsters living here apart from him. He wanted to go inside the room and further investigate, but a pile of boxes and other items had been left by the doorway, with a sticky note on the pile labelled _'Room 105'_. Hoodude simply shrugged, letting out a quick huff as he bent down and hauled one of the boxes upwards, then turned to walk down the hallway. But, then...

_***CRASH***_

He held his head, having hit it against the doorway during his fall. He opened his eyes slightly, revealing a brown, black and blue blur. He opened his eyes properly, allowing them to adjust. As they did, he found himself looking at a Girl, barely shorter than himself, with a copper-brown, metal body. Her eyes were a bright brown, and in the shape of a couple of cogwheels. How quaint. She had long, flowing , black hair, with dark blue streaks dyed into them. She was quite clearly some form of robot, as her _'skin'_ was lined with metal bolts and screws. Plus, he could hear a faint ticking sound coming from her, like the sound of a grandfather clock. She shook her head around, trying to resettle the clockwork mechanism inside, then opened her eyes and looked at him with a confused expression on her face. She was met with his button eyes staring directly back at her, at least for a few seconds.  
Hoodude managed to snap himself out of it, blinking a couple of times as he slowly stood up.  
"Oh...sh-shoot, I'm sorry" He said as he looked down at her, rising to his feet.  
"Oh...it's fine" She said. He let out a small small. She had a petite, polite British accent. He couldn't help but notice that she was attempting to pick up all of her things at the same time. He decided, since it was pretty much his fault, that he should help. But, when he bent down and went to take hold of a book that she had dropped, she went for it as well. Their hands met each other, his hand landing on top of hers. The two stared at each other momentarily, their eyes meeting each other. Hoodude scratched the back of his head and chuckled as he stood up.  
"Here. Let me help you with that" He said, picking up the book. She continued to stare at him for a few moments, before smiling and standing up straight with her box of possessions.

Miss Kindergrubber, who witnessed the accident, walked over to the two. "Are you two alright?" She asked. "Yes Miss Kindergrubber" The two replied in unison. "What happened?" Hoodude scratched the back of his head. "I, uh...kinda walked into her, Miss Kindergrubber" He said. "No. It was my fault. I wasn't looking where I was going" The Girl said said. "Well...it sounds to me like you're both to blame" Miss Kindergrubber said. "Both of you need to apologize" She said. "Hoodude, you first" Hoodude scratched his head. "I'm sorry...um...sorry, I forgot your name again..." The Girl giggled. "That's very rude, Hoodude" Kindergrubber said. "No, it's fine. My name is Robecca" She said. "Oh, yeah. I'm sorry, Robecca" He said. "That's quite alright. I apologize too" Robecca said, smiling at him sweetly. "I accept yours" He gave her a smile, scratching the back of his head. Miss Kindergrubber smiled at them , then walked back to the kitchen. Hoodude stared at Robecca, which he must have done about seven times already. He then looked back at Robecca.

"Sorry about that..." He said.  
"No, it's okay. I can be a bit clumsy sometimes"  
"Right...so, what are you doing?"  
She looked at him. "Me?"  
"Yeah"  
"I'm moving some of my things to my new room"  
"New room? Where was your old one?"  
"Oh. It was at the end of the upstairs corridor. Room 202"  
"Oh...where's your new one?"  
"Room 105"  
"That's right next to my room, room 103"  
"Oh, really? I thought you slept downstairs?"  
"No, heh. I'm...not really a fan of couches..." He said, scratching the back of his head smiling. "I'm Hoodude, by the way" He said, giving her a rather tiny wave. "Um, do you want help with that?" He asked.  
She looked up at him. "That would be very nice, thank you" She said.  
He smiled as he took hold of a large pile of books from the top of her box, only for them to swiftly weigh him down, causing him to fall downwards. He yelped loudly, causing Robecca to jolt in shock. "Are you okay?!" She exclaimed, bending down to look at him.  
He shook his head, causing some peices of paper and loose pages to flop off his head.  
"Yeah. I'm fine" He said, baring a goofy smile that provoked a giggle from Robecca. A nice giggle. The kind of giggle that made him want to lauch in resonse"So, we may as well get to know each other" Robecca said, smiling.  
"Well, uhhh...well, there's not much stuff about me that's interesting..." He said, scratching his head.  
"Oh, don't say that. There has to be something about you that others find interesting"

He tilted his head, trying to think of something.  
"Uuuhhh...well, I took an online course in engineering" He said, in an unenthusiastic tone.  
"You taught yourself engineering through the Internet?" She asked him.  
"Well...yeah, it wasn't really that hard...the Internet part, I mean..." She giggled at his comment, causing him to let out a small smile. "I'm no good with all this modern technology. I mean, I'm...rather old"  
"How old?" Hoodude asked, raising an eyebrow as he smiled.  
"A hundred and sixteen, to be exact!" Robecca said with a smile.  
"Oh. Wow..." Hoodude said, his smile disappearing as a genuine look of surprise came over him.  
"And you?"  
"Uhm...one year, four months, six days..." He said, smirking nervously.  
"Reeally?...You were born a year ago?"  
"Ye-Weeeeell...built...y'know, for argument's sake, let's just say I'm 17..."

"Right...so, uh. What do you usually do around here?" She asked. "I mostly just read or draw, but I tend to invite people over, sometimes"  
"Does...Miss Kindergrubber allow that sorta thing?"  
"Well...I suppose so. She doesn't seem to have any problem with it"  
"Well...have you asked her?"  
"Yes, of course. I ask her every time I invite anyone over." Hoodude scratched his head and ran his fingers through his long, blue hair. "So, uhh...how long have you been living here?" He asked, nervously. "Probably about a Month now"  
"Really? Me too..."  
"Wow. How come we haven't noticed each other?"  
"I was gonna ask you the same..." Hoodude looked around the corridor as they finally reached room three. "Please, allow me" He said, going to open the door, which of course resulted in him almost dropping her books on his way in. He landed on the bed and rolled off of it clumsily. "Are you okay?!" She asked, rushing inside and plopping her things down on the bed. She ran over to him, seeing him sprawled out across the floor. "Yeah...yeah I'm fine" She smiled, placing her hand over her mouth and trying not to giggle. "Home sweet home" He said, spreading his arms. She reached down to him, holding out an arm. He took hold of it and she helped him onto his feet. He smiled at her. He looked around the room. "Well, uh...I guess I'll leave you to settle in, I guess..."  
"I suppose" He gave her a smile for about the seventh time that day. "See you at school, I guess" He turned to leave. Robecca watched him exit the room. "Yeah...at school"


	2. Odd One Out

A couple of days had passed and Hoodude hadn't spoken to Robecca much, despite the fact they barely just met. In fact the storm and any traces of rain were long-gone by now, and he was back in school, doing the same boring classes he despised attending. He found himself sat in the lunch hall in complete and utter silence, alone with his thoughts. That's usually how he spent most of his days...

"Y'alright, mate?"

He perked up when he heard the familiar high-pitched voice and Australian accent, remembering Lagoona was sat with him.  
"Huh? Oh, yeah. I'm good"  
"Y'sure? Y'look as troubled as a legless Squid"  
Lagoona was probably Hoodude's best friend, if not his only friend. It was weird, he was usually rather timid and awkward around Girls, but Lagoona was different. She was probably the only Girl at school he didn't feel nervous around. He didn't know what it was about her. Possibly her attitude? Her personality? Maybe the way she talked to him? But he tried not to question it. Perhaps the charm of their relationship was the unlikelyness of it.  
"I'm fine, Lagoona. Just thinking"  
"What about?"  
"Nothing important"  
"Hoodude. I know that face. You're lyin'..."  
He sighed, lowering his head and staring at the table. She raised an eyebrow and smirked, looking across the table. "Mate. I know you. An' I know when somethin's wrong. So g'head and tell me"  
He frowned at her. "I'd...really rather not say"  
"Aaw, c'mon. You tell ol' Lagoona what's the matter with ya' "  
He chuckled, looking around and making sure nobody could hear. "I...I literally just realized yesterday that Robecca lives with me"  
"She lives at...Kindergrubber's place, right? She's been livin' there 'bout three Months now..."  
"I know, but I only just noticed her yesterday"  
Lagoona looked away from him in thought. But, then her eyes widened and she looked up with a smirk, a smug expression on her face.  
"...What?" Hoodude said.  
"Oooh, nothin'..."  
"Lagoona...what are you thinking?"  
"Just thinkin'..."  
"About what?"  
"Stuuuuuuuuff..."  
Hoodude gave her a long, confused look, before returning to staring at the table thoughtfully. To be completely honest, he was quite baffled and surprised that he never noticed Robecca before. Possibly because he spent a lot of time on his own just doing his own thing. As he was lost in thought, the bell went. Hoodude sighed. "Welp. Guess I'm late for Clawculus"  
"Good luck, mate. I might talk t'you after school, right?"  
"Sure" He grunted, standing up and hoisting his bag over his shoulder. He turned to walk away, but was interrupted by Lagoona's call.  
"And Hoodude?" She asked, causing him to look at her over his shoulder. "Smile. It's the best medicine for a corny day..."

* * *

After Clawculus, Hoodude sulkily lumbered out of the classroom, his huge, heavy bag on his back. He'd received detention for being late and wasn't exactly in a good mood. He made his way to the Library, where he sat and began to flip through the pages of his Clawculus book. To be completely honest, he absolutely despised Clawculus. Everything about it was just...awful. Sitting there watching some guy write numbers on a board then screw around with them until another number _'magically'_ appeared. He put his book down, staring at his wrist. He slid his sleeve upwards, staring at his watch. "13:34..." He whispered to himself, _'Three more hours 'til we go home'_. He set his eyes back on his book, flicking through the pages again and sliding his sleeve back downwards, before looking up slightly and glancing at those who were sat around him. There was Spectra, sat next to him in a rather bored manner with her face resting on the palm of her hand, her elbow placed against the table, while checking her iCoffin with the other hand. He could see Ghoulia writing in her notebook with an unamused expression on her face, probably having finished the equation a while ago. Perhaps the most amusing was the fact that he could see Deuce bobbing his head to music that even he could hear, and Mister Rotter didn't seem capable of noticing, rambling on about some equation that nobody seemed eager to complete.

He wanted to just keep his head down and ignore everyone around him, as there wasn't really anybody he was friends with in the class, apart from perhaps Frankie, who hadn't spoken to him for Months. However, the class was so insatiably boring that he just **HAD** to speak to someone. Occupy his mind with something other than numbers. So, he turned to Spectra and went to tap her on the shoulder. Unsurprising, his finger went right through her, but it caught her attention nonetheless. She lifted her head off her arm, looking at him as she raised her eyebrows.  
"Boring lesson, huh?" He asked nervously.  
She shrugged, turning back to her phone.  
"Any idea what the answer is?"  
"Yeah. Everyone knows. Mister Rotter just thinks they have no idea. There's a reason we ask him to go over equations that we've already learned, so we don't have to answer"  
"Seems kinda dirty..."  
"Whatever" Spectra groaned, rolling her eyes.  
Hoodude wanted to respond, but had to admit, Spectra intimidated him. She was known for being somewhat blunt and had a rather jagged temper. Plus, she had a rather infamous habit of flaunting her looks and flirting with people simply to tease them, which instinctively made Hoodude uncomfortable. So he simply let out a sigh through his nose, turning away and remaining silent for whatever remained of the lesson.

* * *

The moment Hoodude escaped the classroom, he let out a long, frustrated groan. He glanced around in the hallway, looking at whatever students were foolish enough to hang around, rather than putting as many walls between them and Mister Rotter as possible. He checked his watch._ '14:02'_. He couldn't believe the lesson only lasted an hour and a half. It felt like years. He decided he may as well put his stuff in his locker for the next class. He wasn't planning on running late this time. But, as he turned the corner to walk to his locker, he bumped into Manny, who spun around and growled.  
"Watch it, ragdoll!" He snarled.  
"S-Sorry, Manny! It was an accident"  
"You'd best be" The much larger Boy grumbled, towering over Hoodude, before turning and stomping away.  
Hoodude let out a sigh of relief, wiping his forehead with the back of his hand. What a Hell of a day it had been. He'd been late for almost every class, head in the clouds as usual. Hoodude, of course, was the type of guy who liked being by himself to just think and reflect on things that may have happened. He maybe even sometimes daydreamed about things that he may have wanted to happen. He knew it was weird, but it was who he was, and he couldn't exactly help that, no matter how much he was berated for it. However, Monsters like Manny made that particular outlook on life hard to maintain.

Finally, he made his way to the lunch hall. Upon his arrival, he noticed Frankie, Draculaura and Clawdeen sat together on one table. His first instinct was to go and join them, but he decided against it. He usually got yelled at for being_ 'extremely irritating'_ when he sat with Girls he didn't know very well. Usually because he tended to get over-excited. Frankie happened to look over to him and the two locked eyes for a couple of seconds, before Hoodude looked away and lumbered over to an empty table to sit on his own. Frankie couldn't help but wonder, however, and kept her eyes locked on him the whole time, trying to figure out what was running through his head. After a couple of minutes of sitting in silence, she finally spoke up.

"Hoodude looks sad" She blurted out. She internally slapped herself, yelling _'Nice observation, genius'_ in her mind.  
"What'd'you mean?" Clawdeen said, looking over at him as she chewed a piece of steak in her mouth.  
"Well...he just looks kinda lonely"  
Clawdeen raised an eyebrow in Hoodude's direction, then glanced over at Frankie with the same expression, before swallowing. "I guess...so, what?"  
"Maybe if he had someone to sit with..."  
"You're not sayin' what I-"  
"We should invite him over!" Frankie said, smiling as she shot glances between Draculaura and Clawdeen.  
"I don't mind" Draculaura said, smiling at Frankie. "I like Hoodude"  
"Awesome...Clawdeen?"

Clawdeen sighed through her nose, looking down at the table, and then over at Hoodude again, then at Frankie.  
"Yep, you are...look, Frankie, I like Hoodude as much as the next Ghoul, but he ain't exactly the mingling type"  
"Aaw. Don't you think he's sort of cute?" Draculaura joined in. The other two Girls stared at her in confusion. "N-Not in a crush-y sort of way! J-Just...slightly adorable, is all!"  
"Wait, so...what are you saying?" Frankie asked, ignoring Draculaura's nervous rambling.  
"I'm sayin' he annoys me..."  
"Clawdeen!" Frankie yelped with wide eyes, before looking around to check no one heard her. "That's really mean!" She hissed.  
"Hey, I'm within my rights to dislike someone..." Clawdeen shrugged, giving Frankie an unamused look. "And I personally find him annoyin'..."  
"C'mon, just give him a chance! He hardly ever sits with anyone. Don't you feel kinda sorry for him?"  
"Of course I do, but maybe I'd like him a bit more if he did somethin' 'bout it rather than sit there mopin' all the time..." Clawdeen said with a roll of her eyes, glaring over at Hoodude. "He sits there, alone, every day. If he's feelin' lonely, how come he don't just sit with someone himself?"  
"Just give it a shot? Clawdeen...come on, for me?" Frankie smiled, making her eyes look as large and puppy-Dog-like as she could. "Frankie. I'm not in th'mood t'be annoyed. Maybe another day" Clawdeen said, turning away. Clearly the conversation was over.

Frankie couldn't believe it. Clawdeen had always been a kind and helpful Ghoul. Why was she acting like this? She glanced at Draculaura, who shrugged, clearly not too phased by whether or not Hoodude sat with them. Was there some kind of history she had with Hoodude that she was hiding? Frankie looked over at the lonely Boy, who sunk his face into his hands and rubbed his eyes. After a while, when a few other Monsters had left the lunch hall, he stood up and turned to leave himself, making it to the entrance to the hallway. However, he was caught completely off guard when he bumped into someone and fell backwards.

"Robecca! I'm so sorry!" He said, having landed flat on his rump. She stared down at him, giggling slightly, then extending an arm down to him. "We really need to stop bumping into one another" She said.  
"Well I'd rather bump into you than anyone else" He said, picking up his bag.  
She gave him a confused look as she helped him to his feet. "What do you mean?"  
"Well a lot of the Girls in school are kinda mean to me, or don't really tolerate me as much as you"  
"Oh, I see. Well-Ugh!" Robecca raised her arm to gesture towards him, but then winced and lowered it as a creaking sound was heard. Hoodude looked at her with a confused look in his button eyes.  
"Are you okay?"  
"I'm fine. Just...worn out" She said, giving him a small, unconvincing smile, which he couldn't help but return. "So, um...where are you headed in such a hurry?" She asked of him.  
"Oh, Clawculus. I'm gonna be late"  
Robecca stared at him for a few moments, smirking.  
"...Oh, yeah! I gotta go!"He said, turning and running in the opposite direction. Robecca giggled, keeping her eyes fixed on him as he ran away.


	3. Responsibility

Luckily for Hoodude, his day didn't go as bad as it had been going so far, and he'd managed to make it to the rest of his lessons on time. Strangely enough, things had gotten better moments after he'd bumped into Robecca, but the gloomy feeling still engulfed him as he stood in the hallway, trying to get his locker open. He always struggled with his locker. Either his fingers were too fluffy or his locker was too stiff. Either way, it was annoying, especially on a day like this. He had football practice tomorrow and had decided, ahead of time, to clean his kit for the next day. He never enjoyed football, since he got his rear end kicked every time he played with the Boys, he had been transferred to the Girl's team. The Girls, generally, tended to be much more kind than the Boys, but they still never spoke to him, and found him irritating when they did.

Further down the hallway, Frankie was stood talking to Lagoona. She had the pleasure of her locker being placed close to all her friends, whereas Hoodude's was between Manny's and Deuce's. The two were engrossed in their gossip, as they usually were, when Frankie noticed a metallic rattling sound. She turned, noticing Hoodude having a somewhat unsuccessful battle with his locker. The sound of Lagoona's voice became more and more distant as she watched Hoodude let out a sigh.  
"So, then, Gil looks at my book and says...Frankie? Are you listenin' t'me? I was just about to get to the punchline!" Lagoona leaned in front of Frankie to try and get her attention.  
Frankie didn't look at Lagoona, but immediately responded. "Look at Hoodude..."  
Lagoona turned around, holding her book into her chest as if she were hugging it. "Aaaw, poor thing...I spoke to him this morning, and I could tell somethin' was up..."  
Frankie stared at the floor, still feeling guilty about what happened between her and Clawdeen. "I tried to convince Clawdeen and Draculaura to let him sit with us earlier"  
"What happened?"  
"Clawdeen wasn't having it" Frankie said with a roll of her eyes.  
"Oh, that Ghoul needs t'learn some tolerance" Lagoona frowned, shaking her head, eyes glued to the stitched Boy down the hallway.  
"Tell me about it" Frankie took another long look at Hoodude. "Sometimes I just...wish I could've done more to help him out..."  
"Awh, don't beat y'self up, mate."  
"It's true, though...I did create him...I created him just to be a lover Boy...and then tossed him aside like he was trash"  
"Into the trash can, may I add" Lagoona said with a smirk on her face.  
"Thanks for reminding me..." Frankie said sarcastically, frowning.  
"Well if you want to spend more time with him, go ahead. He ain't doin' anything"  
Frankie's head darted around and she stared at Lagoona with wide eyes. "Wait, what?"  
"Class doesn't start for an hour yet. Go and talk t'him!" Lagoona said as she pushed Frankie forward, who immediately turned around and stared at Lagoona for help. "Jus' start up a conversation!" Lagoona said, smiling in amusement.

Frankie grumbled, she turned her head as she walked towards Hoodude. Hoodude also just so happened to be turning to walk in her direction too. The two collided, exchanging looks of shock and embarrassment. Frankie gave out a nervous laugh, as did Hoodude.  
"Hey" She said.  
"Hi" He replied.  
The two stared at each other for a short while, both feeling too awkward to spring up a conversation. Frankie looked over at Lagoona for help, who gestured something to her. Hoodude matched her glance "What are you looking-"  
"N-Nothing!...So, uh, how's football practice going?" She randomly asked, diverting his attention. She was holding her book in front of her, hugging it. It almost looked like she was using it as a shield. Hoodude shook his head, looking away for a sec. Frankie turned to Lagoona and mouthed a 'screw you!' to her, who covered her mouth with her hands as she giggled. "Terrible" He said abruptly.  
"What?" Frankie snapped, spinning around to face him again. "Oh. Really? How come?"  
"I swear, the Boys on my team treat me like** I'M** the ball"  
Frankie let out a short chuckle through her nose, provoking a nervous smile from the ragdoll. "So, yeah...I kinda play for the Girl's team now"  
"What's your position?" She asked, raising an eyebrow. An idea of a Boy on the Girl's team didn't exactly make her comfortable.  
"Well...mostly sitting down..."  
"Huh?" Frankie raised an eyebrow.  
"...Coach Igor doesn't really like me actually playing, 'cause I'm kind of clumsy"  
"Aaw. That's sad. So you just..."  
"Sit on the bench. I would talk to some of the Ghouls, but they don't tend to respond much"

Frankie frowned. It sounded like Hoodude had it pretty bad. His bad luck didn't just end with Clawdeen. "So, uhhhh...how's Holt and Jackson doing?" He asked nervously. Frankie frowned, feeling slightly awkward. "Um, actually the situation with Holt and Jackson...didn't really work out"  
"Oh, really? What happened?" He asked, suddenly perking up as he felt a slight glimmer of hope for his lost sense of romance.  
"Well, they couldn't get their heads straight and I couldn't deal with the stress. But, eventually, they moved on...at least I hope they did...I found someone else, too"  
Hoodude frowned, mentally kicking himself for getting his hopes up. "Oh..." He said glumly. Frankie noticed his sudden change in mood and raised an eyebrow, concerned. "Are you okay, Hoodude?"  
"Huh? Oh, yeah, yeah. I'm good" He said, clearing his stitched throat. "So, uh, who's the lucky guy?" He said, giving her a smile. She smiled back at him, falling into a romantic trance as she sighed deeply. "His name is Neighthan" She said, giggling goofily.  
"And I'm assuming that this Neighthan is a regular cassanova?"  
She snapped out of her trance. "Huh? What?"  
"Not every guy gets a girl talking about him like that" He said, smirking and pointing. She blushed, slightly embarrassed. "Hey, don't tell him about that, okay?" She said. "These lips are stit-I mean sealed" He said, chuckling nervously, which also provoked another giggle from Frankie.

She took a quick glance around the hallway, then sighed. "Look, I'm sorry about yesterday"  
"Why? What happened?"  
"Well, I was gonna invite you to sit with us and-"  
"Oh, that, yeah..."  
Frankie's eyes widened slightly and she blinked in surprise. "You...know about that?"  
"Frankie, I was listening" He said. "Why do you think I put my head down? It's something I do to relax. I don't talk, I listen..."  
"Oh, uuuh..." Frankie blushed in embarrassment. "Yeah, sorry about that. Clawdeen isn't the kind of Ghoul who likes being provoked"  
"She thinks I'm...annoying?" He asked.  
"Yeah. Draculaura doesn't have a problem with you, but..."  
Hoodude's heart dropped. "I'm...kind of used to Girls thinking I'm annoying by now...and Boys...and more or less everyone..."  
"Aaw. You poor thing..." Frankie frowned, feeling even more sorry for Hoodude. "You must feel really lonely, huh?"

Hoodude's heart sunk even further into his stitched chest and he frowned slightly, he eyebrows lowering. "I try not to think about it...but, yeah. I guess_ 'lonely'_ is one word you could describe it with..."

Frankie honestly didn't know what to say. She knew Hoodude was sad, but not this sad. She had to do something to make it up to him. After all, he was her responsibility. Suddenly, the bolts on her neck sparked and she gasped quietly. "I got it!" She said.  
Hoodude perked up. "What?"  
"Every morning, before class, I always sit down with Neighthan and his friends. You could sit with us!" She said. "They wont find you annoying. I promise!"  
He scratched the beck of his neck. "I dunno, Frankie...what if they don't like me?" He said, feeling extremely nervous.  
"Trust me. They will. They understand what it's like to have freaky flaws"  
Hoodude shook his head, looking away as he scowled. "Hoodude?...Please?" He turned back to see Frankie frowning at him with her hands joined, making the biggest puppy-Dog eyes she could. He stared at them for a few moments. "...Alright, Frankie" He said. She smiled and giggled, clapping quietly, before throwing her arms around him and pulling him into a hug. He froze as his body was pressed against hers, feeling a slight warm, cozy, comforting feeling. He slowly and nervously placed his hands on her back, making the best attempt he could at a hug. "Thanks, Hoodude. You'e going to love Neighthan!" She said, a wide grin on her face.  
He smiled happily as she pulled away. "I'll take your word for it, Frankie"  
"You'd better!" She said, playfully punching him on the shoulder. "I gotta run! See you tomorrow!"  
"Yeah, see you!" He called after her.


	4. Shoulder to Shoulder

Hoodude flipped over the page, his fingers almost stroking the edge of each one as he glanced at his drawings and doodles. He'd tried to give them names, but couldn't think of any. He looked out of his bedroom window into the lonely darkness of the night. He had been home from school for at least three hours now, and it had gotten dark. Luckily, there was no storm this time. There wasn't much to do, since the TV screen in the lobby fell off it's shelf and Mrs Kindergrubber was in the process of replacing it, so Hoodude had to stay in his room and think of a way to entertain himself, which was hard for a dude like him. Hoodude didn't have a phone, because the tips of his fingers were too soft and fluffy for him to use one, and he didn't have a laptop because he didn't trust himself to take care of one. He was too clumsy to properly handle the responsibility. Instead, he had to either read or draw, which was still pretty hard.

His head spun around as someone knocked on his door. "Coming!" He yelled as he got up and practically tumbled down the ladder of his bunk bed. As he walked over and opened it, his eyes lit up in shock and his body froze as he stood there, speechless. He was surprised to find Robecca on the other side, who looked up at him and smiled. He gave her a nervous laugh. "Hey Robecca."  
"Evening" She said with a sweet smile. "I was wondering, since the TV is broken, if I could stay in your room for a bit. Things get slightly boring when I'm alone"

Still frozen, Hoodude looked her up and down. She was wearing a rather tight pair of blue shorts and a black tank top, which rather explicitly put the bends and curves of her body on display. However, being a gentlemen, he tried his best to advert his eyes. Snapping himself out of his trance, he gave her a smile and stepped to the side, lifting up his arm to invite her inside. "It would be my pleasure" He said charmingly. Robecca smiled at him and walked inside the room, placing her books down on the bed...well, one of them. She raised an eyebrow and turned to look at Hoodude, who closed the door. "Um...why do you have three beds?" She asked. Hoodude looked at the bed sat on its own against the wall, then at the bunk beds opposite it.  
"This room was like a guest room before I moved in. I liked the idea of having three beds because it takes up a lot of space"  
"And why would you want it to take up a lot of space? Doesn't it make you feel...constricted?"  
Hoodude turned to face her. "Yeah, of course it does. I like that feeling. It makes me feel safe and secure, like I'm surrounded by soft walls"  
"Oh...you aren't agoraphobic, are you?"  
"Agora-what-now?"  
"Agoraphobia? The fear of wide, open spaces"  
"Oh. No. I have no problem with wide, open spaces. Although, I'm not a big fan of going out in public. I tend to spend most of my time alone"  
Robecca raised an eyebrow at his strange comment, then glanced around at the various doodles and pictures on the walls. "I can see that" She giggled. "So...you don't enjoy socializing?"

"It's not that, it's just-...Well, I guess it kind of **IS** that...a lot of the Monsters at school find me annoying, and It's kind of hard to socialize when my friends have friends that aren't on friendly terms with me..."  
Robecca giggled, placing down her books on Hoodude's bedside table, then sitting down next to him on the bed. "You could try asking them why they find you annoying"  
"I tried that, but most of the time it makes me feel like they want me to change for them"  
"And that's absolutely right" Robecca said, smiling at him compassionately. She could easily tell that Hoodude was...different. Which, in the Monster world, wasn't rare, but was definitely hard. She knew just how he felt. So, she decided to give him some advice. She reached out, placing a hand on his shoulder. Hoodude stared into her eyes. "Any friend who tries to make you change who you are is not a real friend" She said, staring back into his eyes like a mirror. Hoodude nodded. A few moments later, Robecca removed her hand from his shoulder and turned to sit on the bed.  
"So, uh...what do you do in your spare time?" He asked out of the blue.  
"Oh, not much, really...I mostly just read or write"  
"You're into writing?"  
"Yes, I love it. It's how I put my old type-writer to use"  
"I wish I could write" Hoodude said, frowning. "But I'd have no idea what to put"  
Robecca giggled at his statement, covering her mouth. "Well, I'm glad we have something in common. Do you-Ahhh!" She winced, holding her left shoulder as it let out a loud creak, similarly to how it did earlier that day. She looked down at it, sighing.  
"...You okay?" Hoodude asked, as if he didn't already know something was wrong.  
"Of course. I'm fine..." She responded abruptly. Hoodude sighed, looking between Robecca's arm and the stubborn look in her eyes.

"...I was...going to ask if you liked reading" Robecca said, returning her gaze to him.  
"Yeah! I love reading!" Hoodude said with enthusiasm, although not forgetting about her arm.  
"What books do you like?"  
"I just looove those romantic love story kinda books, y'know, like Romeo and Ghoulliet by Shakescare?"  
"I love that book myself!" Robecca said, becoming slightly exited herself.  
"The way he conveys their emotions..." He said, lost for words.  
"And how the events in the story lead up to the climax..." Robecca added.  
"Masterpeice" They both said in unison. Robecca looked over at Hoodude, who was staring at the ceiling in a trance. "Y'know..."  
Hoodude turned over to face her, his smile slightly fading.  
"If you want, I mean, I could help you write"  
"Really? How?"  
"You could use my typewriter and I could help you with what to put"  
"Really? You'd do that for me?"  
"Of course. That's what friends are for, isn't it?" She said, turning over to him and giving him a sweet smile, which he returned.

Hoodude returned to staring at the ceiling. He didn't understand why Robecca was being so nice to him. All the other Girls at school found him annoying, apart from Lagoona. Robecca was the only Girl he'd ever met to treat him with kindness despite only just meeting him. He turned over to face her again, his smile refusing to retreat from his face.  
"Thanks, Robecca"  
"You're welcome, Hoodude"


	5. Eye to Eye

The stitched Boy brushed the hairs off of his fluffy body as he looked around the lunch hall, waiting to see a stitched, green hand pop up from the sea of heads and wave to him. He was more nervous that he'd ever been before. He'd had another encounter with Manny earlier, so his day was already off to a bad start. Plus, he'd been sat in his bed awake all night purely out of anxiety. He didn't want to make a bad first impression but, at the same time, he thought it was inevitable. He gulped, fiddling around with his finger nervously. Finally, he spotted Frankie's hand wave to him from a table next to a window. She was stood up, one hand on the table, waving at him with the other, with four rather bizarre Monsters sitting behind her. He smiled and rushed over to her, eager to meet her new friends.

"Now, try not to offend him, guys. He's kind of sensitive, so go easy on him. I know you don't particularly like meeting new Monsters" Frankie said, looking at the four Monsters.  
"It's not that we don't like meeting new people. It's just...we have a hard time trusting them" Bonita said, her expression softening.  
"Either that, or they make a bad first impression" Avea added.  
"Oh...well, still, this guy is different. He's a little...strange, but he's a nice guy. I promise" She said.  
"Maybe we should trust Frankie on this one, Avea" Neighthan said. "I know that we've had a lot of troubles from Purebloods in the past, but Frankie says this guy's different"  
"So what if she said that? Doesn't mean he will be..."  
"Has she ever been wrong before?"  
Avea gave Neighthan a stern look, raising one of her purple eyebrows. "Come on, Avea. Give this guy a chance. Please?" Neighthan asked, confident that this friend of Frankie's would make a good first impression. Bonita and Sirena looked at each other, both of them smiling. After taking a glance at her friend's faces, Avea let out a frustrated sigh of defeat. "Okay, fine. I'll give him a chance" She groaned, provoking a wide grin from Neighthan.

Hoodude eventually reached the table. "Hi Frankie!" He yelled loudly, causing Bonita to yelp in fear. "Sorry" He said immediately, his eyes springing wide open as he tensed up in response. Avea gave Frankie a somewhat unimpressed glare, as Frankie giggled nervously. His eyes darted around at the other four Monsters, somewhat mystified by their unique appearances. Much to his surprise, a short giggle came from the Ghost-Mermaid sitting in the corner. He let out an embarrassed smile. He swore, if he could blush, his entire face would be red by now. "Come on and sit down, Hoodude" Frankie said, smiling at him. He went and sat on the edge of the bench next to Bonita and Frankie sat down next to Neighthan, who leaned forward to get a good look at Hoodude.

"So, Frankie. Why don't you introduce us?" Avea said, raising an eyebrow at the Ghoul. "Huh? Oh! Sure! Guys, this is Hoodude. He was my, uh..._'first'_ Boyfriend, if you can call it that"  
Hoodude chuckled. "I hope you still call it that" His comment provoked a somewhat confused expression from Neighthan, who glanced at Bonita, who also seemed to be feeling the awkwardness. Hoodude gulped nervously, forcing a smile._ 'This is going terribly...'_ he thought to himself.  
"I pretty much built him myself. Shows how much I know about Monster anatomy" She joked, causing Hoodude to giggle nervously. "What about you guys?"  
"What about us?"  
"Aren't you gonna introduce yourselves?" Avea looked over at Neighthan, who scratched the back of his neck. "Uh, well I'm Neighthan" He said, smiling at Hoodude. "I'm pretty sure Frankie's already told you about me. This is Avea" He said, pointing to the Ghoul in question. "That's Bonita and that's Sirena" He added cheerfully, pointing out the other two Hybrids. "Hi" Bonita called. "Hey" Avea said, not exactly amused. Sirena, however, floated over to Hoodude and poked him in the belly. Her mouth formed into a wide grin as she threw her arms around him and giggled. "Hehehe! You guys should tooooootally try this...he's just like a teddy Bear!"  
Hoodude stared down at Sirena, his arms raised protectively. He glanced at Frankie, with a look that said_ 'What is this Ghoul on?'_. Frankie just shrugged, smiling at him. "Yeah...Sirena's a free spirit. There's no telling what she'll do next" Neighthan explained, grinning at Sirena. "As you can imagine, that leads to some pretty awkward situations"  
"That's okay. She's kinda funny" Hoodude said, smiling down at the Ghoul, who gave him a wide grin. "I'm kind of used to awkward situations"  
"I can imagine" Neighthan chuckled. Hoodude glanced at Avea and Bonita, who smirked at him.

"So...what about the rest of you?" Hoodude asked "Any more quirks that I need to be warned about?"  
"Well, Bonita's kind of jumpy. She has anxiety, so she doesn't get along well with loud noises"  
"I figured...so I guess I didn't exactly make a good first impression, then?" He said, scratching his head.  
"Oh, no. It's fine. I guess I just wasn't expecting it" She said, giving Hoodude a friendly smile.  
Hoodude returned her smile, turning his attention to Avea, who was frowning at him in an unimpressed fashion. "Avea has a bad habit of-"  
"I can tend to interrupt a lot" She blurted out, causing Hoodude to widen his eyes.  
"...Yeaaahh. She' also kind of stubborn"  
Avea scoffed. "No I'm not"  
"Yes...you are"  
"Am not"  
"Are"  
"Not"  
"Are"  
"**I AM NOT**"  
"See what I mean?"  
Avea opened her mouth to say something, but slowly shut it with an irritated grumble.  
Hoodude chuckled, still with Sirena wrapped around his belly. "How did you guys meet?" He asked. The group of Hybrids looked at each other awkwardly.  
"It usually consisted of us being paired together for class projects or just so happening to come across each other" Neighthan explained.  
"I met Sirena when I was paired with her for an arts and crafts project in kindergarden" Avea said. "You can imagine she didn't do very well"  
"I kind of met Avea and Sirena when I ran into them in high school...literally, _'ran'_ into them" Neighthan said, letting out a nervous chuckle.  
"We met Bonita in high school, too. She was being picked on by a couple of Purebloods and mister cluts here came to her rescue" Avea looked at Neighthan, smirking, who simply smiled back.  
"I wasn't that much of a cluts"  
"You once managed to fall **up** the stairs" Bonita chuckled.  
"...Okay, so maybe I was"

Hoodude chuckled loudly. "I guess you guys aren't so bad...I didn't expect this to go as well as it did" He said.  
Avea raised an eyebrow. "What do you mean by that?"  
"Well...I have this..._'condition'_..."  
Frankie suddenly perked up. _'A condition? What is he talking about?'  
_"I'd...rather not go into immense detail about it, but sometimes I can get really paranoid and...there have been situations like this in the past where I've...said something that hurt someone else's feelings and it's ended pretty badly for me"  
Much to Neighthan and Frankie's surprise, Avea's hard expression softened as her jaw dropped slightly. She blinked and opened her mouth to say something, but remained silent. "That's so sad" Sirena said, sniffing up as she threw herself against Hoodude for another hug.  
"Gosh, you must have been through a lot" Bonita said, placing a hand on his shoulder.

Frankie was just as shocked as Avea was. She was the one who built Hoodude. The fact that he'd suddenly mentioned this _'condition'_ took her completely by surprise. Avea just stared at him. Then she sighed deeply. Then she spoke. "I...I don't know what to say..."  
"It's alright...you don't have to say anything"  
"Have you had anyone helping you to overcome your issues?"  
"I...w-well, I wouldn't call them issues" He stuttered. "Miss Kindergrubber knows about it, but doesn't help me with it as much as she says she will"  
"Gosh...you poor thing" Avea said, placing a hand on her chest sadly. "I want you to know, if you ever need anything, you can count on us" She said, giving Hoodude a sweet smile. Bonita and Sirena nodded at Hoodude, as did Neighthan.

Hoodude smile back at them all, then over at Frankie, who sneaked a small smile over to him. He liked this feeling. The feeling that other Monsters had his back. Kind, friendly, good-hearted Monsters, too.  
Frankie stared at Hoodude as he became engrossed in a conversation with the Ghouls. One thing still didn't match up. Frankie built Hoodude, so she knew everything about his anatomy. So how didn't she know about his condition?...


	6. Goalpost

Hoodude sat on the bench at the edge of the football pitch, watching the ball getting kicked from one side of the grassy field to the other. Of course, he wished that he could play for the team, but the coach knew how clumsy he was. Watching the Girls play was entertaining enough for him, anyway. He liked to see how they dribbled the ball between their feet, charging over to the goal and sending it flying in with a short but glorious celebration. He even found himself cheering for them occasionally. They were playing against the Wolf Pack. A team made up entirely of Werewolves, who were almost experts at chasing balls, let alone catching them. As well as that, just to make things harder, they were losing by three goals.

Frankie, who was also sat on the bench in her fearleading uniform, looked over at Hoodude. She was there with Neighthan to cheer the football team on until the rest of her fearleading team arrived. Also, as always, Lagoona was in the middle of the pitch dressed in a black top and shorts with a whistle around her neck. She was, of course, the referee. Running around the pitch was Venus McFlytrap. Hoodude didn't know her very well, but he knew that she was the captain of the Girl's football team, shown by the pink and white badge on her shirt. As well as that, she was one of Robecca's friends.

Neighthan noticed Frankie staring at Hoodude. He nudged her, getting her attention. "Huh? What?"

"Why are you staring at him?"

"Oh...he's lonely Neighthan"

"Lonely?"

"Yeah...I think he needs cheering up"

"Hmm...I'll go talk to him" He said. "Maybe I can convince the coach to let him play"

"Oh, no. That's a bad idea"

Neighthan turned around, raising an eyebrow at Frankie. "Why?"

"He's way too clumsy to play"

"Oh, come on, that's not fair" He said. Frankie placed her finger on her chin, biting her bottom lip. If Hoodude played and ended up messing up chances for the team to score, she was sure everyone would yell at him. She didn't want him to go through that embarrassment. However, he needed to make some friends and his main problem was that the Ghouls found him annoying, so she decided to take the risk. "...Okay then" She said hesitantly.

Neighthan smiled, walking over to Hoodude just as Lagoona blew the whistle for a water break.

"Hey, man. How're you doing?" He asked, sitting down next to the Ragdoll. "I'm good"

"You don't look good"

"Then why'd you ask?"

Neighthan chuckled. "So...why're you not playing for the team?"

"I'm...way too clumsy" He said.

"Dude. I'm way more clumsy than you are"

"I don't doubt that, but I can't even kick the ball. My leg would just bend"

Neighthan ran his fingers through his multicoloured hair, thinking to himself. "Can't you just ask coach if you can play?"

"He doesn't exactly like me"

"How come?"

"He just thinks I'm pretty useless"

Neighthan frowned, feeling rather sympathetic for Hoodude. "I used to play for the Boy's team but I ended up being the ball"

"...The ball?"

Neighthan's frown turned into a look of confusion as he raised an eyebrow.

"Yeah, the ball" He explained. "I have this...thing that I can do and it...kinda got taken advantage of" He chuckled nervously.

Neighthan gave him a blank look, sending his hand over his head. "Wooosh" He said.

"Okay, if I can't explain to you what I mean, I'll show you"

All of a sudden, Hoodude sat down, rolled onto his back and stretched both of his legs up and against his ears. Then, he bit down on his crotch an grabbed hold of his backside, placing both legs begins his head. When he was finished, he was in a perfect ball shape. Neighthan's eyes widened as Hoodude unraveled himself and stood back up, scratching the back of his neck.

"...That was weird" He said.

"Yeah" Hoodude said. "I used to use it to get around quickly, but Miss Kindergrubber says it's too dangerous. I'm too clumsy"

"Are you kidding? You can control yourself while you're like that? Dude, you should totally use that on the pitch!"

"Y-you really mean it?" Hoodude said, smiling widely.

"Of course! That's awesome! Plus, since you don't play too well, you could distract the Wolf Pack players"

"Could I?"

"Yeah! Think about it. You look exactly like a ball"

Hoodude wasn't too sure. What if he messed it up like he always does? "I dunno, Neighthan. I doubt the coach will even let me onto the pitch"

"Hey. Maybe I can convince him" Neighthan said. He took Hoodude by the hand and walked over to coach Igor. "Hey, uh, coach Igor?" Neighthan inquired. "Hoodude wants to play for the next half of the game. He feels kind of left out and it's starting to bug him"

Coach Igor gave Hoodude a glare. "Hoodude? Play football?" It wasn't long before coach Igor had burst into a fit of laughter. "No chance, Son. This kid is way too clumsy. Forget falling over the ball. He'd fall over the grass!" He joked. "Oh, come on! He's never actually had a chance to play before" the coach gave him a rather angry look, raising one of his crooked eyebrows. "Okay, fine. But if he messes it up it'll be the last time he plays on this team" Coach Igor gave Hoodude a slap on the backside, practically throwing him onto the field. He looked around at all the eyes staring at him.

He immediately noticed Lagoona giving him a wave and a smile, which gave him some courage. He ran over to her. "Hey, what's my position?" He said eagerly. "Talk t'Venus. She's the team Captain, not me" Lagoona said, giving him a sweet smile. So Hoodude walked over to Venus, who turned around and gave him a stern look. "Lagoona told me to talk to you" He said. "Yeah, sure. Listen, we have nobody in defense right now and I figured, since you can't feel pain, you could be our defender"

"Oh, okay. What do I do?"

"Just hang around in front of the goal and, if anyone tries to score, stop them"

He gave her a wide grin and ran over to the goal. As he looked behind him to see who was in goal, he was surprised to find it just so happened to be Robecca. He smiled as he walked over to her. "Hi Robecca!" He said goofily, waving at her. "Hello" She responded, giving him a polite wave. "I didn't think you'd be in goal" He said. She gave him a smile. "My armour makes me tougher than I look"

"Armour?"

"Yes. My shell is built with reinforced copper"

"Shell?"

Robecca giggled. "Mmm hmm. My mechnism is shaped sort of like a skeleton, so my shell protects it" She tapped on her chest, making a metallic gong sound. "My shell is just my...well, what you would call 'skin'..."

"Oooooh" Hoodude says "So I'm guessing you're pretty durable in the goal, then?"

"Usually. I am sort of clumsy, so I tend to miss a few shots now and again"

"Oh. Well, you probably play better than I do"

"Maybe"

All of a sudden, a large, muscular Boy ran in Hoodude direction, kicking the ball towards the net. Hoodude, although terrified, decided it would be a good idea to try and kick the ball. As it came into reaching distance, he sent the side of his foot against the ball forcefully. However, the ball passed straight under him and took out his entire foreleg, causing the Ragdoll to fall flat onto his face. "Hahaha! Having some trouble there?!" He heard one of the Wolf team yell tauntingly. Robecca swiftly bent down and grabbed the ball, then kicked it back into play. Venus gave Hoodude a rather angry glare, walking over to him. "What the Hell was that?!" She growled. "I gave you one thing to do. ONE THING and you drop the ball on that?" Hoodude looked up, frowning sadly. Although Venus wasn't exactly happy, she didn't want to hurt Hoodude's feelings. "Just...keep trying" She said, walking away and shaking her head.

Robecca gave Hoodude a sympathetic look "Are you alright?" She asked, walking over to him and helping him up.

"...Yes" He said miserably. He stood up, shaking the grass and dirt off his black shirt. "I told you I'm horrible at this stupid game" He said, pouting. "Oh, don't be so stroppy" She mused. "All you need is some practice. Practice makes perfect" She gave him a smile. He huffed and turned back around, facing away from Robecca.

All of a sudden, a blur caught his eye as he saw Neighthan waving from the stands. Then he remembered. His special trick! He could use it. The corners if his mouth curled as a wide grin slowly crept across his face. "Robecca! I'll be right back!" He yelled, sprinting out onto the pitch. "Hoodude, wait! You can't leave your position!" She yelled back at him. But Hoodude didn't listen. He was too busy curling himself into a ball.

In a few short seconds, he went from sprinting to rolling. Robecca, Lagoona and coach Igor all looked at him in confusion. "Hoodude! What're you-" Lagoona called out. But, before she could finish, he rolled in front of one of the Wolf Pack players. "A BALL!" The player yelled. He immediately began sprinting after Hoodude, who was now rolling so fast that he was simply a circular, blue blur.

Lagoona, however, was still extremely confused. That is, until another couple of players from the opposite team began chasing Hoodude. Her eyes widened and she couldn't help but smile as she realized hat was really going on here. Hoodude was tricking the Wolf Pack players into chasing him so the rest of the team could score! "Venus, now!" She yelled. Venus immediately sent the ball flying into the opposing goal, a wide grin plastered across her face. Hoodude stood up, smiling widely as he heard Frankie and Neighthan cheering from the stands.

Venus immediately ran over to Hoodude. "That was...AWESOME!" She screamed, balling her fists and shaking them from side to side with excitement. His grin became even wider. "Can you do it again?" She asked. Hoodude nodded franticaly. "Yeah! Yeah, I can!" He said. "Good!" She giggled, turning back around and running over to her position. "Wait, when?!" He called out. "Just keep them off us!" She yelled back as the ball was kicked back into play.

For the rest of the game, Hoodude did as he was instructed. Every time a Wolf Pack player got near the ball, he rolled right in front of them and guided them away from the goal, allowing Robecca to kick the ball back towards their own. Venus scored almost every shot she took, each time gaining a cheer from the audience. Hoodude's stitched heart was pumping wildly. It felt like he was unstoppable. In fact, it felt like he was on a roll, literally!

The game ended when the team heard coach Igor blow the whistle. Thanks to Hoodude, they had won five goals ahead of the Wolf Pack. Hoodude rolled around ecstatically, laughing loudly. Unfortunately, he wasn't paying attention to how fast he was going. "HOODUDE, WATCH OUT!" He heard Lagoona yell. But it was already too late...

**_SMASH_**

Hoodude let himself unravel, holding his head and groaning. He opened his eyes. They immediately widened as his heart stopped. He had rolled straight into Robecca and the two had tumbled over each other. He was now lead on top of her with their bodies pressed together and their faces touching. "Oh, g-gosh. I'm sorry, Rob-becca" He said sheepishly, getting up. He swore, if he could blush, his entire face would be red. Robecca slowly stood up, smiling at him. Her entire face flushed black with embarrassment as steam puffed from her ears. Both Lagoona and Venus smirked at the pair, but they took no notice.

"Oi! You two lovebirds can do all that off my pitch" coach Igor yelled. "Now get back inside and go to your next class!"


End file.
